


Old Habit

by Dedicate Kiwicrocus (cranky__crocus)



Category: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-02
Updated: 2010-08-02
Packaged: 2017-10-10 22:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/104865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cranky__crocus/pseuds/Dedicate%20Kiwicrocus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lark confronts Rosethorn on her behaviour with the children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Habit

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this randomly, one day, when I was confronting my own fears of children. I used to get rather snarky with them, which sure garnered a lot of fear, but not much else. Here Rosethorn works through it and her past with Lark. At the same time I worked through my history of bullying and here I am now, a camp counsellor at a natural history camp, instructing 5 to 13-year-olds on plants and everything else. Hooray for personal growth!

            “It’s a bad habit of yours, Rosethorn, and it’s scaring them out of their wits,” Lark scolded as gently as she could manage with the words she needed to express.  Rosethorn looked down at her body, covered in a forest-green habit that was indeed not upscale or “good”.

            “This dirty old thing?  Of course it’s no good!” Rosethorn replied with an impish smirk even as her eyes revealed, if only for a moment, that she was now concerned.

            “You know what I’m speaking of, love.”

            “Yes, I know,” Rosethorn began as she took a seat on the stool before one of her working benches.  She waved a hand to offer another of the stools to her companion.  “It’s not terribly hard to scare a child out of its wits.”

            “‘Its’?  For Mila’s sake, Rosie, they’re people too!”  Lark exclaimed and grew silent, eyes wide.  She had just raised her voice.  Lark never raised her voice; it was one of the things the household could count on.  Rosethorn looked up quickly and bit her lip.  Maybe it was time for a little honesty.

            “I try, Lark, but they scare me out of my wits as well.  I freeze up on the inside when one passes by…something flashes about pirates, my friends at that age and their blood on the ground...  I don’t know what to do so I snap and intimidate.  I’m _sorry_, Lark,” Rosethorn spilled as she brought her elbow to the work bench tabletop and rested her forehead on her fingertips.

            “Oh, Rosie…” Lark whispered as she stood and walked around to the other woman’s back.  Long golden arms enveloped the stocky woman and a smooth, cat-like cheek pressed to that wonderful auburn hair.  The aroma was of cinnamon and the fields.  After Lark took a long breath she spoke again.  “I know it’s hard, but that apology must go to the children.”

            Rosethorn turned her head and pressed her cheek to Lark’s.  The two were silent for a moment before Rosethorn whispered, “Do you think I’ll ever get used to this?”

            Lark kissed that pale stretch of skin and fluttered her lashes like the ex-tumbler she was.  The vulnerable woman before her chuckled as Lark reassured her, “Yes, love.  It’ll always be hard but I know you can do this.  Remember, I’m at your side.”

            A smile spread over those pink lips and up into the forest eyes above them.  It was an unusual sight that Lark had the pleasure of seeing most.  Rosethorn’s voice was as soft as it ever could be—which wasn’t terribly soft, but was in Lark’s ears—as she murmured, “Thank you, Lar…Love.  You’re always here to cover my thorns in silk.”

            It wouldn’t have sounded like much to any other Dedicate, but Lark heard it all.  A lone tear trickled from her tear duct down to her jawbone, where it slipped from Lark’s skin and fell to land with a minute splash on Rosethorn’s ivory hand.  There it met the water droplet that came from the Rosethorn’s eye.

            “I’ll try,” Rosethorn whispered as she brought her other hand up to Lark’s arm and rubbed gently.  Lark squeezed the shorter woman heartily and pressed their lips together as they locked eyes in comfort and gratitude, strength through compassion and presence.

            It would all be all-right in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
